South east asia events

[neondt]

A minor point in 1444 Taungoo was a vassal to Ava until 1510 so that should be rectified

It used to be in the game, but it was taken out. Personally I approve of this change. Taungu was a tributary of Ava rather than a vassal in the "feudal" sense, and no other tributary relationships are represented as vassal relationships in game. It's consistent.

As far as I can see Mong Yang should be renamed Mong Mao as that is what the kingdom was called

No, Mong Yang (or Mohnyin, or Mèngyang) is the name of that kingdom. See e.g: A. Chan, BURMA: SHAN DOMINATION IN THE AVA PERIOD (c. AD 1310–1555).

By the time of the games start Ava was Baramised and styled itself as the decedents of the Pagans so I would recommend that they get a culture change to Burmese (Barams are a Burmese people) and Taungoo ideas get renamed to Burmese ideas and replace Avas ideas as Ava didn't have a lot in common with the shan confederacies and was largely the victim of them.

You're right that Ava saw itself as a Burmese kingdom, and as a successor to Pagan. I'd agree with changing its primary culture to Burmese even though the elite were very much integrated into Shan dynastic politics and the dynasty arguably had Shan foundations. I would not however call Ava a "victim" of the Shan states. Ava had a hegemonic relationship with the Shan, and the politics of the region were complex. One could just as easily portray the Shan conquest of Ava as an act of throwing off the Burmese yoke of domination.

Furthermore I would suggest that the requirement cores in Ava to form Shan and instead the effect of the formation gives permanent claims on Ava, the unification of the Shans should after all mean increased pains for their primary victim. (Also the shan confederacy IRL did conquer Ava)

I think it makes sense that forming Shan requires owning Ava. The original purpose of the alliance between the Shan states was to end the hegemony of Ava, so it makes sense that to truly solidify the Shan you'd need to actually conquer Ava.

Pegu and Taungoo should also start with historical friendship as often they cooperated against Ava

Pegu and Taungu also fought each other and raided one another for slaves and soldiers. One instance of co-operation doesn't negate the rest of the period's history.

Mong Mao [actually Mong Yang]-Hisenwi has historical rivalry against Ava

Fine, I suppose.

Islam spreads in Java

This is something I've tried to represent in my Indonesia mod (which I keep forgetting to update). My approach has been to try to spread Sunni Islam to provinces, and to encourage the AI to convert through a decision that requires owning Sunni provinces, as well as allowing Hindu/Buddhist states to try to combat Islamisation if they so choose.

Rise of Demak

Condition
Country is NOT muslim
Demak has religion: Islam
5 Years have passed since its conversion

Restriction
Can happen once

Effect
(X) amount of separatists rises in Demak

Rise of Ciberon

Condition
Country is NOT muslim
Ciberon has religion: Islam
5 Years have passed since its conversion

Restriction
Can happen once

Effect
(X) amount of separatists rises in Ciberon

Rise of Banten

Condition
Country is NOT muslim
Banten has religion: Islam
5 Years have passed since its conversion

Restriction
Can happen once

Effect
(X) amount of separatists rises in Banten

I think these events are too heavy-handed. I'd like to see Sunda and Majapahit occasionally fall and be replaced by other nations though. I think this can be achieved more dynamically by adding cores and allowing religious disunity to do the rest.

Javanese sultanate (Exists in later bookmarks)

Traditions
+20% Religious unity
-10% Ship cost

Sufi tutors
Islam spread in Java in part thanks to trade but mostly due to a large ammount of sufi mystics offering their services to the courts of Java leading to the gradual islamization of the ruling classes.
+1 Tolerance towards the true faith
+1 Missionary strength

Islamic trade network
Adopting islam has led to a greater connection with the Malayan and Sumatran isles as well as states even futher east greatly benefitting our trade.
+10% Global trade power

Kejawen syncretism
Kejawen is a pseudo religion pseudo philosophy that has more or less allways been around since the spread of Hinduism but has become increasingly important with the comming of islam since it has no prophet or sacred text it has been a great means of bridging the gap between the two religions.
+2 Tolerance towards heathens

Reject kafir rule
Why should we labor under the unbelievers who are to weak to properly run their own state of affairs? Instead we should set out to create our own kingdom free of the corruption and decadence that has befallen the elder heathen states. (This is based on the various islamic vassals who refused to pay tribute in particular in Sunda)
+1 Legitimacy

Pioneer merchants
Java was always a great sea power but with the islamic connections and the entrance of foreigners into the region our abillities as seamen have become even more pronounced than before.
+1 Merchant
+10% National sailor modifier

Establish the Muslim hegemony
In the 16th century the Mataram sultanate sought to establish itself as the only state in Java by crushing the hindu states in the east, driving out the dutch and subduing the other sultanates.
-15% Core creation cost

Sultan Agung
Having finally become the one Javanese state we can without hesitation claim a more pristine title than any of our predecessor sultan agung meaning "Great sultan" will serve to project our status and power.
+1 Prestige

Traditions:
+20% Naval forcelimit
Javanese sultanate (Exists in later bookmarks)

Traditions
+20% Religious unity
-10% Ship cost

Sufi tutors
Islam spread in Java in part thanks to trade but mostly due to a large ammount of sufi mystics offering their services to the courts of Java leading to the gradual islamization of the ruling classes.
+1 Tolerance towards the true faith
+1 Missionary strength

Islamic trade network
Adopting islam has led to a greater connection with the Malayan and Sumatran isles as well as states even futher east greatly benefitting our trade.
+10% Global trade power

Kejawen syncretism
Kejawen is a pseudo religion pseudo philosophy that has more or less allways been around since the spread of Hinduism but has become increasingly important with the comming of islam since it has no prophet or sacred text it has been a great means of bridging the gap between the two religions.
+2 Tolerance towards heathens

Reject kafir rule
Why should we labor under the unbelievers who are to weak to properly run their own state of affairs? Instead we should set out to create our own kingdom free of the corruption and decadence that has befallen the elder heathen states. (This is based on the various islamic vassals who refused to pay tribute in particular in Sunda)
+1 Legitimacy

Pioneer merchants
Java was always a great sea power but with the islamic connections and the entrance of foreigners into the region our abillities as seamen have become even more pronounced than before.
+1 Merchant
+10% National sailor modifier

Establish the Muslim hegemony
In the 16th century the Mataram sultanate sought to establish itself as the only state in Java by crushing the hindu states in the east, driving out the dutch and subduing the other sultanates.
-15% Core creation cost

Sultan Agung
Having finally become the one Javanese state we can without hesitation claim a more pristine title than any of our predecessor sultan agung meaning "Great sultan" will serve to project our status and power.
+1 Prestige

Traditions:
+20% Naval forcelimit

Good idea set, though you may want to clean up the spelling errors.

 

[neondt]

A quick rundown of my own ideas for the region:

• Add nations to "empty" provinces in Borneo, Sumatra, and the Philippines. This will require some new tags, but others are already in the game (Palembang, Banjarmasin, etc).
• Make the sourrounding sea zones of maritime SEA an inland sea. Naval warfare was very much galley-based. See e.g the wars of Iskandar Muda.
• More events for countries in SEA, esp. related to Islamisation of Indonesia.
• More unique national ideas.
• Add Acehnese culture and split Javan into Javan and Sundanese.

All of these things are in my Indonesia mod, which I'll update today (I've already done the actual scripting, but getting things to upload to Steam Workshop is painful). My current 1444 setup (which I'm very happy with right now, except for Indrapura which is kind of out of place):

I also have an idea for a Mandala system that'd make gameplay in the region a bit different using a Force Migration mechanic similar to Horde Razing and by severely limiting the number of States SEA nations can have. But I think I'd need to write this up much better before going into any detail on that.

It would also be nice to have more of the Shan states represented, but I appreciate that the current province setup is already very good and only so much detail can exist in the region. Nevertheless I think that maybe the Shan state of Kale could be included without the need to add any new provinces. I'd also like the Taungu province to be split into two (with the second half being the province of Prome, another independent-ish city-state).

Today I wrote 2 events for Arakan, about the Portuguese adventurer Felipe de Brito. He became the bodyguard/mercenary captain of the King of Arakan. He betrayed the king after being made governor of Syriam, proclaiming himself King of Pegu. I'll be adding them to my mod, but I'll also post them here:

Spoiler

# de Brito in Arakan
country_event = {
   id = flavor_peg.3
   title = "flavor_peg.EVTNAME3"
   desc = "flavor_peg.EVTDESC3"
   picture = ADVISOR_eventPicture

   fire_only_once = yes

   trigger = {
     tag = ARK
     is_year = 1586
     NOT = {
       is_year = 1613
     }
   }
   mean_time_to_happen = {
     months = 120
   }
   option = {
     name = "flavor_peg.EVTOPTA3"
     set_country_flag = de_brito
     define_advisor = {
       type = grand_captain
       skill = 2
       discount = yes
       name = "Filipe de Brito"
     }
     random_owned_province = {
       limit = {
         has_port = yes
         is_core = ROOT
         controlled_by = ROOT
       }
       light_ship = ROOT
       light_ship = ROOT
       light_ship = ROOT
       infantry = ROOT
       infantry = ROOT
       infantry = ROOT   
     }
   }
   option = {
     name = "flavor_peg.EVTOPTB3"
     add_prestige = -1
   }
}

# de Brito declares independence in Syriam

country_event = {
   id = flavor_peg.4
   title = "flavor_peg.EVTNAME4"
   desc = "flavor_peg.EVTDESC4"
   picture = ADVISOR_eventPicture

   fire_only_once = yes

   trigger = {
     tag = ARK
     has_country_flag = de_brito
     NOT = {
       is_year = 1630
     }
     owns = 586
     NOT = {
       exists = PEG
     }
   }
   mean_time_to_happen = {
     months = 60
   }
   immediate = {
     if = {
       limit = {
         NOT = {
           586 = {
             is_core = PEG
           }
         }
       }
       586 = {
         add_core = PEG
       }
     }
   }
   option = {
     name = "flavor_peg.EVTOPTA4"
     kill_advisor = grand_captain
     586 = {
       spawn_rebels = {
         type = nationalist_rebels
         leader = "Filipe de Brito"
         friend = PEG
         size = 2
         win = yes
       }
     }
   }
}

Spoiler

flavor_peg.EVTNAME3: "Felipe de Brito"
flavor_peg.EVTDESC3: "de Brito is a man of humble origins, first coming to South-East Asia as a cabin boy on a Portuguese merchant ship. After several years of adventuring he became the leader of a group of Portuguese mercenaries and the bodyguard of Sultan Min Razagyi of Arakan. He offered the Sultan the use of his mercenaries and his small fleet of frigates in the expectation of great rewards in the future. While the King accepted his offer, he was ever wary of de Brito's ambition and lust for wealth."
flavor_peg.EVTOPTA3: "We need him and his men."
flavor_peg.EVTOPTB3: "de Brito is a liability that we cannot afford."
flavor_peg.EVTNAME4: "de Brito's Betrayal at Syriam"
flavor_peg.EVTDESC4: "Following the conquest of the important port city of Syriam, near the old Mon capital of Pegu, the Sultan of Arakan gave governorship of the city to Felipe de Brito and his Portuguese mercenaries. This proved to be a painful mistake. de Brito betrayed the Sultan shortly afterwards, proclaiming himself the King of Pegu and renouncing the suzerainty of Arakan. He succesfully led his forces on a spree of raids all over the Burmese region and captured many important hostages such as the King of Taungu and the Crown Prince of Arakan. de Brito also sought recognition for his conquests from the Crown of Portugal by travelling to Goa. He did not get his comeupance until 1613, when his capital of Syriam was beseiged by Taungu forces and de Brito was executed."
flavor_peg.EVTOPTA4: "We should have seen this coming."

 

[neondt]

We desperately need a tributary system it would solve some Ming problems to

I agree. I think that a tributary relationships should be non-exclusive (a nation can be a tributary of multiple nations, and a tributary can itself have tributaries), and function as a mix between a guarantee (i.e. a one-sided defensive alliance) and war reparations. Though I do have reservations about this, namely that Ming guaranteeing half of SEA could potentially make the region very frustrating to play in.

I seem to have confused it with another kingdom there are so many Mongs (what does mong mean?)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mueang

I tend to favor decisiveness because it pushes things a bit more effectively however I suppose one could do just as well with more subtle means though I would personally include a disaster called "Decline of the Java states" for hindu Javas

I had done this for Majapahit in all but the most recent version of my mod, but in the end I replaced it with a simple starting event that makes getting off the ground a bit harder. There's a fine line between crippling a nation to the extent that it's no longer fun to play as, and creating challenging circumstances that the player can overcome and feel rewarded.